If you absolutely had to choose between a 1 week stay in the Cinque Terre or Positano on the Amalfi Coast, which would you choose? Most of the trip will be spent with 3 days each in the Italian Lake area, Venice, Florence, & Rome with final flight out of Rome. I was hoping to spend in week in Positano and then take a train back to Rome for our flight out, but it might make more sense to do CT. Not sure - have never been. Thanks!
Posted by
Northborough, MA
636 posts
Well, if you told me that you had just 3 days and had to choose, I would say that that's extremely difficult. But, if I had an entire week, I would do both!
But, if you really need to choose, it depends upon how you want to spend your time. Cinque Terre has no real sights to speak of, but it's glorious for swimming, hiking, eating, chilling. The Amalfi Coast has all that (but, in a different way), plus lots of sites: Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples, the Amalfi Drive, Capri, the list goes on ...
We did 3 nights in Sorrento and 2 nights in Vernazza earlier this summer, and we were thrilled with each. So, with a whole week, you could easily do justice to both.
Tough choice!
Posted by
In the Mountains, USA
689 posts
No doubt. I would go to Positano.
Posted by
Dallas, Texas, USA
19 posts
Do both, it is more than enough time.
If for whatever reason you only want to (or can) do one, it depends on what you would rather do, sit on the beach or be a tourist.
The tourist sites in the Amalfi coast are incredibile, there really aren't any to speak of in Cinque Terre other than natural beauty.
Don't stress over it too much, you have a great problem on your hands to have.
Posted by
sauk rapids, mn
267 posts
we did 2 dayus in the ct and 3 days in sorrento this past spring and loved both of them. dp both of them. good luck :):)
Posted by
San Diego
1 posts
I fear that you will find the Cinque Terre disastrously crowded. Up to 8 or even 5 years ago, it was still pleasant. Now -- it's over. Done.
Positano has been a travel destination for much longer than 5T, and the crowds are more easily digested and distributed by that city. I don't know if that helps you.
Posted by
Northborough, MA
636 posts
I'm afraid I have to disagree with Peter's assessment of CT. (And, I'm sure I won't be the last one.)
We were in CT in early July (2008). We drove to Vernazza on a Sunday afternoon, and we had no trouble getting a spot in the lot. We spent 2 nights in Vernazza. We swam, explored, ate, relaxed, and hiked. We took the boat to Monterosso, and on the hike back to Vernazza, we encountered very few people. We did the hike late (~4:30 - ~6:30) on a Monday afternoon, and we only encountered a handful of other hikers.
I have never used the term "magical" to describe any place, but we found Vernazza to be just that.
CT is most definitely not "over" or "done"!
Posted by
new philadelphia
20 posts
With a week I would go to both Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre. My preference would be 3 days in Cinque Terre and 4 days on the Amalfi Coast. Actually I would cut 1 day from the Italian Lake area and add that to Cinque Terre.
Posted by
OP
Chattanooga
11 posts
Wow - thanks everyone for all the great advice!! I am new to this site and I am finding everything on here is invaluable to helping me plan my first European trip. I will definitely do both the CT and the AC - since I have the time, why not? :-)
Posted by
Marin, CA
527 posts
You might enjoy basing out of Sorrento than Positano if it's for a whole week. It's got easy ferry connections to Capri, Positano and Naples and the little train to Pompeii. The Hotel Minerva kept most of our luggage when we overnighted to Positano and Capri. I find it more reasonably priced and with lovely views on the Capo. I just wasn't in to CT.
Posted by
Ely, MN, USA
274 posts
Can anyone tell me more about the crowds? We plan to be there either the end of April or beginning of May. I have also been debating about CT vs Amalfi Coast. We want to spend some time on the coast, but really want to avoid tourist crowds, waiting to get into restaurants, etc.
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
Look at a map and see how far apart each town you list is. Rail travel from Florence to CT takes only a few hours.
Most of your towns are in the north and Amalfi Coast is south and too far away to be practical to visit.
You will spend too much time traveling such great distances.
Even going from Venice to Rome will take more time than you might expect. You can determine travel time by researching the RR webpages.
Posted by
Northborough, MA
636 posts
Cinque Terre certainly gets crowded, but so does the Amalfi Coast and most other popular spots in Italy. We spent 16 days in Italy earlier this summer, and the only place where we felt that the crowds were sometimes overwhelming was Venice.
Posted by
boulder, colorado
192 posts
Both the CT and the Amalfi coast are spectacular. There is plenty to do besides hike in the CT. A short train ride will take you up the Ligurian coast to plenty of great towns - Portofino, Santa Margh., Levanto. I like to spend at least a week in an area. Positano has a great beach and ferries to many other towns. If you want to relax I would pick one location and spend the week there. You can't go wrong no matter what your choice.